Picking Up The Pieces
by etherealdiscord
Summary: With Valentines Day right around the corner, people at Arcadia High are acting weirder than usual. Among them are Joan and Luke, who have both somehow found their way into love triangles, and have five days to sort out their love lives before Vday
1. The Chain Reaction

Title: Picking Up the Pieces  
  
Author: Payton Tyler  
  
Email: darkserene@glitterbomb.com  
  
Pairing: What do you think?   
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoiler: State of Grace and everything before it  
  
Disclaimer: I'm only in junior high, I clearly don't own the show. I do however own Christopher Marquette. I mean.. I own the story line. Yes, the story line. Nothing else.  
  
Summary: That dreaded day is here again. February 14th. And you know what that means..  
  
Author's Notes: I wrote this around midnight by light of white Christmas lights to indie punk music. Needless to say, it's gonna be a little weird.  
  
-Chapter One: The Chain Reaction-  
  
Grace sat the book she was reading down on the stone wall she was sitting on and re-adjusted her headphones. As she went to pick the book up again, she felt someone looking down at her. She glanced up and saw Joan.  
  
"Hey," Joan said. Grace took her headphones off.  
  
"Hi," she said in a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. The volume didn't change. Joan took a seat next to her friend on the wall.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked. Grace nodded.  
  
"Losing my voice," she said. Joan was barely able to hear her. Grace Polk without her voice. The day was going to be a lot quieter.   
  
"So... What are you listening to?" Joan asked in attempt to make conversation. Ever since the debate a few days earlier, things had been a little awkward between the two. Grace opened her CD player, revealing a burned CD titled 'Coheed -n- Cambria 2'. After Joan had read it, Grace closed her CD player and put her headphones back on and the girls sat in silence until the bell rang.  
  
Adam adjusted the beanie under his hoodie and picked up his pen. Ms. Lischak began class, and Joan and Adam began taking notes. Ten minutes later, Grace walked in.  
  
"Miss Polk, you're late, again. Do you have a pass?" Ms. Lischak asked.   
  
"Do I look like I have a pass?"Grace asked quietly. She took her seat and pulled a notebook out of her backpack.   
  
At the table in front of Joan, Adam and Grace, Glynis was staring at the side of Luke's head with a spacy dreamy expression. Freidman looked from Glynis to Luke.   
  
"Dude, Glynis is making eyes at you and don't even notice," Freidman said.  
  
"I'm taking notes," Luke said.   
  
"You kissed her. Of course she's going to be paying attention to you. But if you're just going to sit there and take notes there must be something wrong with you." Luke looked at Freidman.  
  
"I know what I did but.." Luke said, trailing off.   
  
"But what?" Freidman asked as Ms. Lischak told the class what chemicals they would need to get. Glynis left the table to get them, and behind them, Grace left.  
  
"So you dropped out of debate team?" Adam asked Joan.   
  
"Yeah. I didn't think it was for me. I mean, you saw my debate," Joan told him.   
  
"I thought you did good, yo," Adam told her.   
  
"We interrupt this teen love moment to bring you," Grace said dropping some bottles on the table. "Whatever this stuff is." She coughed and sat down.  
  
"You know, I've probably got a cough drop somewhere if you want it," Joan offered. Grace shook her head.  
  
"She doesn't believe in medicine," Adam told her.   
  
"Okay..." Joan said, picking up a bottle of reddish liquid. "What's this?" Grace shrugged.  
  
"Um.." Adam said, looking down at the notes. Luke spun around.  
  
"Iodine," he told them.   
  
"Iodine. Right.." Joan said, putting down the bottle. As Luke went to turn back around, he and Grace made eye contact. He felt his face growing warm and quickly turned back around, breaking the stare.  
  
Joan wrote something down on the lab sheet, then glanced up at the white board in the front of the room to see the date. The ninth.  
  
"Hey, did you guys know there are only five days left until Valentines Day?" she asked. Grace and Adam exchanged a look.  
  
"Why do people even celebrate Valentine's Day? It's not even a real holiday. It's something Halmark invented to get money from the hopeless romantics of the world. Like you, Girardi," Grace said, her voice cracking in and out.  
  
"You sure you don't want that cough drop? Sounds like your voice is about to go," Joan said. Grace glared at her. "What about you Adam? You celebrate it?"  
  
"Never saw the point, yo," Adam told her.   
  
Freidman, who of course had been listening to Joan, Adam and Grace, decided to bring up that very day himself.   
  
"Did you two hear about the Valentine's Day Dance?" he asked.  
  
"It's saturday night, right?" Glynis asked. Freidman nodded.  
  
"You two going?"  
  
"Why?" Luke asked.  
  
"Well, because it's the Valentine's Day Dance and you two are a thing, right?" Freidman asked.  
  
"I've got to.. get another test tube," Luke said, jumping up and running to the front of the room.  
  
"Okay, so, we have to pour the blue stuff into the orange stuff.." Joan said, while pouring the blue liquid into the orange, making it turn green. "Now we have to add the iodine," she told them as Grace fillen an eyedropper up with iodine and added it in. A few minutes later, the bell rang and the students filtered out of the room. Grace put her backpack on.  
  
"I'm going home," she said, heading for the backdoors.  
  
"What are the chances whatever she's got is contagious?" Joan asked Adam.  
  
"Probably pretty good, yo," he told her as they headed for the lunch room.  
  
"So we're probably both going to get sick tomorrow huh?" she asked.  
  
"Unchallenged."  
  
"Ask her," Freidman said, standing at Luke's locker as he put his books away.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We already talked about this. You said you weren't afraid of going through the opened gate, so go, ask Glynis to the dance."  
  
"I don't go to dances," Luke told him.  
  
"You went to the semi-formal. With Grace Polk noless. Now you've got a shot to go to a dance with an accual date and you're turning it down?" Freidman asked in shock. Luke opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then closed it again and started walking down the hall.  
  
"You're still hung up on her," Freidman said, following Luke down the hall.  
  
"Freidman, go away."  
  
"Luke, what's going on in your head? I think the choice is obvious."  
  
"Well you aren't me! I don't know what's going on in my head, and I don't need you to tell me!" 


	2. The Sickness

-Chapter Two: The Sickness-  
  
Authors Note: Here's the next chapter! Three is in the process of being written, and I think I should warn you ahead of time. Luke and Kevin have another moose conversation in chapter 3..  
  
Joan walked down stairs the next morning, coughing and still dressed in her pyjamas.  
  
"Mom.." she said.  
  
"Joan, you sound awful. Are you alright?" Joan sneezed and shook her head.  
  
"Grace gave me her cold. Adam probably got it too," Joan told Helen before launching into a coughing attack.  
  
"Oh, Joan, go back to bed. I've got to go to work, will you be alright here alone?" Helen asked.  
  
"Mom, I'm a sixteen year old with a cold. I'll be fine."  
  
"Let's just hope whatever Grace has isn't serious," Helen told her daughter as Joan headed back up to her room.  
  
Three hours later, Joan awoke to her phone ringing.  
  
"Hello?" she asked.  
  
"Yo," Adam's voice said. He coughed.  
  
"You get it too huh?" Joan asked him, sitting up.   
  
"That's the least of our problems," Adam told her.  
  
"What's that mean?"   
  
"It's the flu. Which means we're gonna be stuck like this for a awhile," Adam told her.   
  
"The flu?! Remind me to kill Grace," Joan told him, walking downstairs to get some breakfast.  
  
"You wanna hang out or something?" Adam asked.  
  
"We're sick Adam."  
  
"But we've got the same thing, so we can't catch it from each other." Joan thought about it for a moment.  
  
"Good point. Plus, it beats being alone all week. I'll see you in ten minutes?" she asked.  
  
"Unchallenged," Adam said, turning off the phone. Joan headed back up to her room to get dressed, and saw Cute Guy God sitting on her bed. She screamed.  
  
"Relax Joan," God told her. She entered her room.  
  
"It's just freaky. I wasn't expecting someone in my room," Joan told God, who stood up.  
  
"Adam is going to ask you a question. I want you to say no," God told her, walking out of her room.  
  
"That's it? Say no to someting Adam asks me?" Joan called after Him. He waved to her and kept walking. Ten minutes later, right on cue, there was a konck at Joan's bedroom door. She opened it .  
  
"Hey Adam," she said, walking out of her room and closing the door behind her. They walked down to the living room and sat on the couch. Joan picked up the remote and began looking for something to watch.  
  
"Are you going to the Valentine's Day Dance on saturday?" Adam asked Joan. She turned to him.  
  
"Not that I know of, why?"  
  
"Do you.. uh.. Do you wanna go? With me?" Adam asked.   
  
"I'd love to-" Joan started, rembering what God had said. "But I can't. I'm sorry Adam. I've got a family thing."  
  
"Oh. Okay," Adam said, clealy crushed. Joan leaned back and looked up at the celing. 'How come everything you tell me to do hurts one of my friends?' she asked God silently. 


	3. The Talk

-Chapter Three: The Talk-  
  
The door to Kevin's room flew open.  
  
"There's this moose-" Luke started, stepping in and closing the door behind him. Kevin looked up at his brother.  
  
"Not again.." he said.  
  
"No, I know I'm not an elk. We've established that. But there's this moose, who likes this one flower. But the moose has no chance to get the flower, because the flower's.. erm... poisonous. So this other moose urges the first moose to go for this other flower, because the other flower likes the moose, but the moose likes the first flower and isn't sure how he feels about the second flower, but he listens to the other moose, and.. picks.. the second flower, which made the flower happy. But the first flower saw it and seemed totally fine with it, but when the moose saw that the first flower saw that he picked the second flower, he felt horriable. So, what does the moose do?" Luke asked, taking a deep breath.   
  
"..What?" Kevin asked.  
  
"I kissed Glynis and Grace saw it," Luke told him, not even sure why he had bothered with another moose conversation.  
  
"Oh. So.. What's the problem?"  
  
"The problem is, I don't know if I like Glynis. I thought I did until I saw Grace after I kissed her. Now I'm just.. Confused."  
  
"Well, how do they feel about you?" Kevin asked.  
  
"Well, I know Glynis likes me-"  
  
"That's obvious."  
  
"Right. But Grace is impossiable to read," Luke told Kevin, sitting down on his bed.  
  
"Well, who do you like more?" Kevin asked, wheeling over to Luke.  
  
"See, that's the problem. I'm thinking about going to the dance on saturday with Glynis but-"  
  
"You'd rather go with Grace?" Luke nodded.  
  
"I think I would. But I'm just... Lost. This is why I like science. It makes sence. Romantic love is confusing."  
  
"Which reminds me, I've got to call Rebecca. Look, the only thing I can tell you is you've gotta either go out with Glynis or keep chasing after Grace and risk her killing you. Either way, just listen to your heart. You'll know what's right," Kevin told him.  
  
"Right. Thanks," Luke said, leaving his brothers room. As he was heading for him room, he slammed into Joan.  
  
"Watch where you're going dog boy," she said. Luke looked at his sister.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Grace gave me the flu, you know that," Joan said, heading for her room. Luke followed.  
  
"That's not what I ment. You sound really upset."  
  
"Adam asked me to the dance. And I turned him down. Because I had to."  
  
"Why did you have to turn him down? He likes you Joan. And you like him."  
  
"Look, I just do what I'm told," Joan told him, entering her room.  
  
"Why do you keep saying that?"  
  
"Because it's true. Look, I turned Adam down for a good reason. Just drop it okay?" Joan asked her brother. He nodded.  
  
"Kevin told me something important. You should listen to it too. Listen to your heart. You'll know what's right," Luke said, closing his sisters door. 


	4. Life Is Confusing

-Chapter Four: Life is Just.. Confusing-  
  
3 Days. Arcadia high was filled with happy in 'love' couples, red hearts, pink and red decorations all over, it was like taking a step into a love song. Grace and Adam walked down the halls with freaked out expressions on their faces.  
  
"Dude, this is freaky," Grace said. He nodded.  
  
"I don't get the point, yo. It's Valentine's day, it's not even a real holiday," Adam told his friend.   
  
"Tell me about it," Grace said, stopping at her locker and opening it. "So, how was your get together with Girardi yesterday?" Adam looked at her.  
  
"How did you..?" he asked.  
  
"I called your house to let you know it was only the twenty four hour flu. Your dad said you were with Joan."  
  
"I asked her to the dance. She turned me down," Adam told Grace.   
  
"Ever hear the song 'Jane'?" she asked. He shook his head. The bell went off and Grace smiled, walking away, leaving Adam standing by her locker.   
  
As the five-six period bell rang, Joan slowed her pace, not in a hurry to get to chemestry and see Adam. As she reached Ms. Lischak's room, she took a deep breath and entered, taking her normal seat between Grace and Adam. She looked at Adam, who was drawing something in his notebook, the turned his attention to Grace, who looked deep in thought, which worried Joan concidering they were in chemestry, and Grace was known for not paying attention. Joan rested her chin on her hand and stared at the front of the room. Five seconds passed and in unison Grace, Joan and Adam pulled their headphones out of their bags. The period draged on for what seemed like the longest 80 minutes in the world, when the lunch bell finally rang. Everyone got their stuff together and walked out of the room. As Grace was pushing her way through the narrow doorway, she spotted Joan talking to some teenage guy. She unconsiousally got a bit closer to them, and tuned into their conversation.  
  
"Are you going to the dance?" he asked her. Grace arched an eyebrow, suddenly interested.  
  
"No. I turned Adam down for you, remember?" she asked him. He nooded.  
  
"Joan, I want you to go," he told her.  
  
"I hope you have a date in mind."  
  
"Accually, I do," he said.  
  
"Who do you expect me to go with? You?" Joan asked him. Grace began walking down the hall again, now that she *thought* she had the answer.  
  
"No Joan. I want you to ask Adam," God told her.  
  
"What?! You just told me to say no!" Joan yelled.  
  
"Ask him on friday. In chemestry. And no matter what the answer, go to the dance anyway," he told her, walking away.  
  
Luke's locker slammed shut. He looked at the hand that had closed it, and spun around.  
  
"Does your sister have a multiple personality disorder?" Grace asked.  
  
"What?" he asked.   
  
"Let me break it down for you nerd. Adam asked Joan out. She said no. Some other guy just asked her out. From what I heard it was a yes. Now personally I don't care what she does, but she claims to like Adam, however she keeps hurting him. I've know Rove for nearly my whole life, and while I would deny it under tourture, I love the dude like a brother. And if Joan keeps messing with him, then the guy's gonna snap," Grace told him.  
  
"People do weird things. Joan's one of them. She's probably just afraid of commitment, because Adam's the first guy she's accually liked," Luke said.  
  
"Dude, romantic love is crazy," Grace said, starting to walk again. Luke walked beside her.  
  
"Hey. How come everytime your mad at my sister for some reason you talk to me?" Luke asked her.   
  
"Must be a bad habit," she told him as they stopped at a vending machean.  
  
"I'm not sure what I should say to that," Luke told her. They made eye contact and began to close the space between them, when Grace realized what was about to happen. She stepped back and pointed to where Joan and Adam were sitting.  
  
"I've got to go," she said, heading over to the table. Luke leaned against the machean and let out a deep sigh.  
  
"Romantic love *is* crazy," Luke said under his breath, agreeing with what Grace had said. 


	5. The Search For Something More

-Chapter Five: The Search for Something More-  
  
Authors Note: Uh.. I quoted Seth from the OC. Should I credit that? Anyway, a twofer today cuz I got my fourms for th Nation Junior Honor Society, so I'm in a good mood :  
  
AL: The TV Guide thing your talking about, is that Chris Marquette's 'promotion'? Cuz that's wicked. You're a junkie of my stories? Heh, cool, cuz I'm a junkie of yours.  
  
And on with the show!  
  
Joan closed her locker and put her bag on her shoulder.  
  
"Yo, Jane," Adam said, putting his hood up.  
  
"Hey Adam. We're studying tonight right?" Joan asked.  
  
"That's the plan," Adam told her.  
  
"Okay, lets find Grace and go then," Joan said. Adam adjusted his bag.  
  
"She's with your brother. Said something about needing to sort something out and that she'd drive over after they talked," Adam said.   
  
"I sware, those two should just go grope each other and get it over with," Joan told him as they began to walk.  
  
"It's weird, yo. Aside from that thing in fourth grade she's never liked anyone until your brother," Adam told Joan.  
  
"Thing in fourth grade?" Joan asked.   
  
"We were nine, it was only for a week," Adam told her. Joan laughed.  
  
"Hey, Adam?" she asked.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Are we.. Okay? I mean, I know I already asked this, but, we're friends right? Like, not just because we're both sub-defectives, but we're accual friends, right?" Joan asked.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, I hope so. I like hanging with you, because your Jane, not because we're both.. sub-defectives," Adam told her, causing Joan to smile.  
  
*  
  
For the second time in three hours, Luke's locker was slammed shut.   
  
"Hello Grace," he said without turning around.  
  
"What almost happened today?" she asked, making him turn around.  
  
"At lunch?" he asked.  
  
"Duh."  
  
"I think you know the answer," he told her.  
  
"Yes, but *why* did it almost happen?"  
  
"Because maybe we're both feeling the same thing," Luke suggested. Grace rolled her eyes.  
  
"You're with Glynis and I don't like people, I really doubt it," Grace told him.  
  
"Grace, you don't like anything, and Glynis and I aren't together and-" Luke said. Grace crossed her arms.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And I really want to kiss you right now, but I'm not going to, because I don't have a death wish." Grace concidered this for a momet, before putting a hand on the back of his head and pulling him into a kiss. After nearly a minute, they broke apart.  
  
"I've gotta go catch up with Rove and your sister, we've got to study," she told him, walking down the hall. She paused and turned to look at him, not suprised that he was watching her. She smiled at him, then turned back around and headed for the main doors.  
  
Glynis, who had seen and heard the whole thing, turned the corner and ran past Luke, crying. As Luke watched her run by, he slammed his head into his locker.  
  
*  
  
"All my life, I've had no girls, now I've got two," Luke said, walking into Kevin's room. He spotted someone sitting on Kevin and realized he had done it again. "Oh my God. Sorry," he said, backing out of Kevin's room. Kevin and Rebecca broke their kiss with a laugh.  
  
  
  
"Sounds like Luke's having problems," Rebecca told him.  
  
"He's Luke, he's always having problems," Kevin told her.   
  
"Maybe you should talk to him," Rebecca suggested. "Sounds like he's caught in a triangle."  
  
"Already tried it," Kevin told her.  
  
*  
  
"Finally, we're done!" Joan said, slamming her chemestry book shut.   
  
"If I never see another chemical formula again, I'll be happy," Grace said, shoving her book into her bag.  
  
"Unchallenged," Adam agreed.   
  
"Ah, chemestry. One of the things that makes me happy I graduated," Rebecca said, walking into the living room, putting on her coat and leaving. The second the door closed, Luke came running downstairs.   
  
"Grace? Can I talk to you... in the kitchen?" he asked.  
  
"Um, alright," she said, following him into the kitchen. "What?"  
  
"Are we friends?" he asked. She looked at him like he'd grown another head.  
  
"In some weird twisted way, I guess so, why?" Grace asked him.  
  
"Because I want something more. I really like you Grace. So I'm going to ask you to go to the dance with me. Will you go to the dance with me?"  
  
"I erm.. I'll get back to you on that.." she told him, walking back into the living room and getting her bag before leaving. Kevin rolled into the kitchen.  
  
"See, not that hard," he told his brother.  
  
"Yeah. Now I just have to tell Glynis that I don't like her like that and get Grace to say yes." 


	6. Thursday

-Chapter Six: Thursday-  
  
"So if it changes color then it's baking soda," Joan read off the lab sheet. Grace poured the chemicals together and the three watched the substance bubble over onto the desk, staying the same color.  
  
"Guess it's not baking soda, yo," Adam said, scribbling something down on the sheet. Ms. Lischak claped her hands together.   
  
"Alright class, times up, pass your lab sheets forward," she said. "And you can have the last 3.5 minutes to yourselves."  
  
"Hey Grace, I downloaded that song you told me about," Adam said.   
  
"Good," Grace told him. "Which reminds me. Hey, nerd." Luke turned around.   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Thought about it. I'm crazy enough to try anything once."  
  
"I'm sorry, was that a yes?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, guess so."  
  
"Great," Luke said as Freidman grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.  
  
"What did you do?" he asked Luke.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Yesterday, in the hall, and just now. Aren't you with Glynis?"  
  
"I'm not with anyone. The only reason I kissed Glynis was because of your stupid Jedi mind trick," Luke told him. His sister snicked.  
  
"Jedi mind trick. I don't believe we're really related," she said under her breath. Luke rolled his eyes.  
  
"Glynis saw you yesterday. Dude, she's crazy about you, and you're throwing yourself at the closed gate again," Freidman said.  
  
"Stop with the gate analogy already. I like Glynis, but I don't like her like that."  
  
"But you like Avril Le Grace back there like that?"  
  
"You know what?" Luke asked as the bell went off. He stood up and picked up his books. "Yeah. I do."  
  
*  
  
As Adam, Joan and Grace exited the chemestry room, Helen approched them.  
  
"Oh God. Maternal unit at twelve o'clock," Joan said, trying to make a run for it.  
  
"Hello Joan, Adam, Grace. Adam, are you coming down to the art room durning lunch to work on your project?"   
  
"Yeah Mrs. Girardi. I'll be there," Adam said. Helen smiled at them and walked down the hall.  
  
"Spending lunch in the art room? Lunch is the one period you get out of class," Joan told Adam.  
  
"He's Adam, he's weird," Grace told her.  
  
"Speaking of weird, what's going on with you and my brother?" Joan asked Grace.   
  
"I've got to go," she said, making her escape.   
  
"Me too. See you later Jane," Adam said, heading to the arts wing.  
  
*  
  
"Hey Glynis," Luke said, approching her at lunch. She looked at him, but remained silent.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said.  
  
"About what?" Glynis asked him. "Yesterday?"  
  
"Um.. Kissing you accually. I shouldn't have done it, because I don't like you like that."  
  
"I know you don't," Glynis said quietly.  
  
"What?" Luke asked.  
  
"Freidman already told me. You don't like me like that, you like Grace," Glynis said, walking away.  
  
"Man he's fast," Luke said, walking away. 


	7. A Song About Jane

-Chapter Seven: A Song About Jane-  
  
Authors Note: The song used in this chapter is Jane by Barenaked Ladies. I bet you saw this chapter coming. ^~  
  
"Joan Girardi. You're late," Sam, Joan's boss at the book store said.  
  
"Sorry! I was studying with Grace and we lost track of time, I got here as fast as I could," Joan explained.  
  
"I don't need your excuse, just go clock in, I've got to get out of here. Oh, and someone left something for you back there," Sam said, walking out of the store. Joan walked into the back room and clocked in. As she sat her coat down on the desk, she saw a CD laying on top of the time clock. Picking it up, she walked into the front of the store. It appeared empty, so she opened it up and placed it in the CD player.  
  
/The girl works at the store sweet Jane St. Clair  
  
Was dazzled by her smile while I shopped there  
  
it wasn't long before I lived with her  
  
I sang her songs while she dyed her hair/  
  
Joan didn't regonize the song, but she had a feeling she knew who had left the CD.  
  
/Jane, divided, but I can't decide what side I'm on  
  
Jane decided only cowards stay, while traitors run  
  
Jane, Jane/  
  
Jane. Defentally from Adam.  
  
/I'd bring her gold and frankincense and myrrh  
  
She thought that I was making fun of her  
  
She made me feel I was fourteen again  
  
That's why she thinks it's cooler if we'd just stay friends  
  
Jane doesn't think a man could ever be faithful  
  
Jane isn't giving me a chance to be shameful  
  
Jane, Jane/  
  
Joan walked out from beind the counter and onto the floor, picking up books that people had left out and shelving them. As she reached the front table, she saw a small white sheet covering an odd shaped object. There was a note attached to it that read 'Jane'. She picked up the note and looked at it.  
  
/I wrote a letter, she should have got it yesterday  
  
That life could be better by being together  
  
is what I cannot explain to Jane/  
  
She then reached down and pulled the small sheet off the object it was covering. As suspected, one of Adam's art pieces was below it. She picked it up and smiled.  
  
/The girl works at the store, sweet Jane St. Clair  
  
Was dazzled by her smile while I shoplift there  
  
No promises as vague as Heaven  
  
No Juliana next to my Evan/  
  
Joan walked back over to the counter, still holding Adam's art, and placed it on the table behind the counter with a smile. The numbers on the digital clock changed to 6:00pm and the doors to the bookstore opened, as people rushed in.  
  
/Jane, desired by the people at the school and work  
  
Jane is tired, 'cause every man becomes a lovesick jerk  
  
Jane, Jane/  
  
Joan hit the off button on the CD player and put on some music for the shoppers, getting back to work. 


	8. Iris Appears

-Chapter Eight: Iris Appears-  
  
"I've mentioned how stupid I think this is, right?" Grace asked the next morning, standing in line to go through the metal dectors.   
  
"A few times," Joan told her. She, Adam, Grace and Luke all moved up in the line.  
  
"Don't forget your ring again, yo," Adam told Grace.  
  
"Right," she said, taking out her naval ring.  
  
"Hey Adam, thanks for that little suprise yesterday when I got to work. It made the retail experence better," Joan told him. He gave her one of his cute Adam half smiles. They moved up a little more and a girl smashed into Joan.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she said, helping Joan pick herself up.  
  
"Oh, ow, that's alright," Joan said. The girl looked from Joan to Adam and smiled.  
  
"Hey Adam," she said. He nodded.  
  
"Hi Iris."  
  
"I'll see you in art," she said, walking away with a smile. The group moved up a little further and Luke managed to squeeze through the metal dector. Grace, Joan and Adam were then pushed through as an angry mob of highschool students tried to push themselves through at the same time. In the process of the shoving, Adam slammed into Grace, who fell into Joan, who tripped over Luke who was waiting for them. The four went tumbling to the ground.   
  
"The perfect end to a perfect week," Grace joked, pulling herself up.  
  
"I've been knocked down twice today and school hasn't even started. I sware this is some sort of bad omen," Joan exclamed. "Wait, it's the end of the week? It's friday?" Joan asked, recalling what God told her.  
  
"Yeah," Luke said, standing up himself as the bell rang.  
  
"Crap, we're late again," Joan said as she, Luke and Adam rushed off to class. Grace headed for first hour too, but trailed behind them, not in any hurry.  
  
*  
  
"So I'll see you at lunch?" Iris asked Adam, standing outside Ms. Lischak's room.  
  
"Unchallenged," Adam said. Iris laughed a little. The warning bell rang and Iris walked off and Adam entered the room. He nearly went into cardiac arrest when he saw Grace was already there.  
  
"Don't ask. It's a long story," she told him as he sat down. The late bell rang and class began.   
  
"Hey Adam?" Joan asked, pulling her notebook out.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You know how I said I had that family thing to do this weekend? Well, my schedual cleared up and I was wondering if the offer to go to the dance together still stood." Adam looked her in the eyes and Joan began to feel flushed and light headed.   
  
"I'd say yes, but Joan, I already have a date," he told her.   
  
"R-Really? Who?" Joan asked.  
  
"She's about 5'4", brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes.." Grace said. Joan let her words sink in.  
  
"Oh, you and Iris are going together?" Joan asked.  
  
"Cha."  
  
"Well, that's cool. She seems nice," Joan said, trying to sound supportive.  
  
"Too nice if you ask me," Grace said. "But hey, she's Rove's girlfriend.. And I'm talking to myself.." she added when she realized Joan and Adam weren't paying attention.  
  
"Welcome to my world," Luke said without turning around.  
  
"Well there's a scary thought," Grace responded.  
  
"You two should just go grop each other and get it over with," Joan said under her breath. Luke turned around and he and Grace both glared at her.  
  
"Oh, hey, do you guys mind if Iris comes over tonight to study with us?" Adam asked.  
  
"But she's not even in chemestry," Joan protested.  
  
"Yeah, but she just moved here last month and asked if she could sit in with us, make some new friends yo." Grace shrugged.  
  
"As long as she isn't to.. peppy.. I'm okay with it." Joan put on a fake smile.  
  
"Sure, that'd be cool."  
  
"Alright, I'll tell her at lunch," he said. 'Lunch? She's sitting with us at lunch?!' Joan thought. 'She's like a virus. She just showed up and she's slowly taking over Adam. And what's better than that? I have to watch Adam and Iris at the dance. God! Thanks a lot..' 


	9. The Yoko Ono of the Study Group

-Chapter Nine: The Yoko Ono of the Study Group-  
  
Authors Note: All movies mentioned in this chapter are really on Pay Per View. I'd just like to point that out when you read the title of one of the movies..  
  
Joan let out a deep sigh and slammed her chemestry book on the kitchen table. Helen turned and looked at her daughter.  
  
"Hard day?" she asked.  
  
"You have no idea. First I was nearly killed trying to get into school, there was a pop quiz in French, all through lunch I had to watch Luke and Grace flirt, you have no idea how gross that is. Almost as bad as watching them kiss. Eech." Helen raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "I never said that. And then I asked Adam out and he's got a date to the dance with this new girl. Who's coming over in a half hour," Joan finished.  
  
"Oh, Iris? She's a nice girl," Helen told her daughter.  
  
"She's posessed Adam! All through chem he was all.. weird. Iris is like the Yoko Ono of our study group!"   
  
"Sweetie, you're paranoied. Iris is just a nice girl that has an interest in Adam."  
  
"Am I the only one who doesn't like her?!" Joan yelled.   
  
"Accually, no," a voice said from behind Joan. She turned around and saw Grace standing in the doorway.  
  
"You're early," Joan said. "And you don't like Iris?"  
  
"Well, she's nice and all, but too nice is freaky. But then again, that's just me. Oh, and the reason I came over early is because I need to barrow a..." Grace said, her voice traling off, unable to say that five letter word that started with a d.  
  
"A dress?" Joan asked. Grace shuddered.  
  
"Yeah. For that stupid dance Luke's dragging me to." Joan smirked.   
  
"C'mon, I've got some that you could probably stand for a few hours. And some make up that would go with them too-" Joan said with a laugh, walking into the living room. Grace gave her a slight shove.  
  
"Don't push it Girardi." Helen watched her daughter and Grace head upstairs and smiled. Luke entered the kitchen a moment later and grabbed some water from the fridge.   
  
"So, has 'Yoko' arrived yet?" Luke asked his mother.  
  
"Luke, do you know why your sister dislikes her so much?" Helen asked.  
  
"She doesn't dislike her. She hates her. She'd lead the We Hate Iris fan club if she had the power. All through lunch she was muttering stuff about her dislike towards Iris. As for why she hates her? I think the answer's obvious," Luke told his mother, taking a drink.  
  
"Because she and Adam are going to the dance together?" Helen asked. Luke nodded and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
*  
  
"Oh my God. This is crazy Girardi. I would pay to just be able to go to some dance dressed normal. Accually, I'd pay to NOT go to the dance," Grace said, sitting on Joan's bed while she went through her closet.  
  
"You don't have to go. No one's holding a gun to your head," Joan told her, pulling out a black dress and tossing it at Grace. "If you hate dances so much, why are you going?" Grace eyed the dress laying next to her.  
  
"I'm doing it for your brother," she said.   
  
"Why?" Joan asked, pulling out some more dresses and chucking them at her. She caught a red one and looked over it, then placed it on top of the black one. No answer. "Grace?" Joan asked.   
  
"Maybe because I accually like him. And you like Adam. So when he asked you out, why'd you turn him down?" she asked, standing up and walking over to Joan. Joan continued shifting through her clothing.   
  
"I do like Adam, but I'm not ready for a couple, you know?"  
  
"Tell me about it," Grace told her.  
  
"I didn't want to go with Adam when he first asked me, because I just, well, I'm not ready to do the couple thing. But I wanted to go with him, so I decided to ask him today, but the disese has already begun. "  
  
"You didn't expect him to sit around and wait for you forever did you?"  
  
"I think I did. But I don't know when that will be. So I should be happy for Adam and Iris. Right?"  
  
"Right," Grace told her. Joan pulled another dress out of her closet and held it up in front of Grace.  
  
"I believe we have a winner," she said. Grace looked at it.  
  
"I guess it's not going to kill me if I wear it for four hours," Grace told her as the doorbell rang. "Must be Rove and 'Yoko'."  
  
"How does everyone know that's what I called her?" Joan asked, putting the dress on a chair as she and Grace walked downstairs.  
  
"You did kind of yell it at the top of your lungs Girardi." They stepped off the stairs and entered the kitchen, seeing Adam and Iris sitting at the table with Luke. Joan pulled out the chair next to Adam and sunk down and Grace pulled out the one between the two Girardi's. An hour later, study group ended and the hang out time began.   
  
"So, what do you guy want to do now?" Joan asked.  
  
"Well, it's friday. We usually order Pay-Per View yo," Adam told her.  
  
"Hey, as long as it's nothing sappy, romantic or Mary Kate and Ashley related I'm all for a movie," Grace said.   
  
"Sounds like a plan," Joan said, then remembered Iris."You.. wanna stay?" she asked, exchanging a look with Grace.  
  
"That'd be great, thanks," Iris said as the five of them headed into the living room. Grace, Adam and Luke took their usual spots on the couch, and as Joan was about to take the empty spot next to Adam, Iris sat. Joan looked at her, trying not to glare, then took a seat on the chair.  
  
"Hey Jane, why are you sitting all the way over there?" Adam asked.   
  
"No room over there," Joan answered. Grace gave her a sympthetic smile and moved over to the other chair. Not being a fan of Iris, and not liking having to see her best friend moping around over her other best friend, she was willing to help Joan get Adam. Joan stood up and moved over to her couch, taking the seat. She opened the PPV guide.  
  
"Alright, what should we order?" Joan asked.  
  
"Ooh, Alex and Emma!" Joan and Iris exclamed at the same time. Adam, Luke and Grace exchanged looks of disgust.   
  
"No chick flicks," Grace told them.  
  
"How about Jeepers Creepers 2?" Adam asked.  
  
"No horror," Joan said. They continued reading through the list.  
  
"Cheerleader Ninjas. Now I've seen everything," Grace said.   
  
"That sounds like a disturbing movie," Luke said.  
  
"Oh, Down With Love," Joan said. Grace snickered.  
  
"Oh God, they've got an inside joke.." Luke said. Joan hit him upside the head.  
  
"How about Wrong Turn? It's a horror, but it's not scary," Adam said. The other four agreed.  
  
"I'll order it, you get the lights dog boy," Joan said, ordering the movie as Luke turned off the lights. He went to sit back on the couch, but changed his mind when he saw the look Joan was giving Iris and Adam.   
  
"This seat taken?" he asked Grace. She moved over, letting him sit. "I've got to admit, I'm afraid to sit over there."  
  
"Yeah. Talk about tension," Grace said, shifting her weight, attempting to sit in the chair without making any physical contact with Luke. It wasn't working. She finally gave up and just sat there. Moments later, she felt someone looking at her. She looked up and saw Luke staring down.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked quietly. He smiled and leaned down, kissing her. She put a hand on his cheek and kissed him back deeply.  
  
*  
  
On the other side of the living room, Joan was paying more attention to Adam and Iris than the movie. She watched Iris grab his hand and snuggle up to him. It was making her sick. She had to get away from the coupling. At least the coupling going on with the guy she liked. She moved over to the big chair where Luke and Grace were sitting, and stopped when the light on the TV screen illuminated the room for a moment, revealing her brother and her best friend making out. She gave up and made her way into the kitchen, where Helen was making dinner.  
  
"Hey Joan, need some snacks?" Helen asked.  
  
"Need a break. I'm a fifth wheel in my own home," Joan told her mother.  
  
"What's that mean?"   
  
"Iris and Adam are all cozy and holding hands, and Luke's making out with Grace. It's making me upset."  
  
"Joan, your only sixteen. It's nearly impossiable to get love right on the first try," Helen told her daughter.  
  
"Is it?" Joan asked. "Well what about all those people at school who have been going out for years? What about Iris and Adam? They're acting all in love. And Kevin and Rebecca. And God, even Luke and Grace! It's insane."  
  
"Joan, do you honestally think more than half of the couples at school will be together in the end?" Joan concidered it for a second.  
  
"No way." 


	10. Your Love

-Chapter Ten: Your Love-  
  
Authors Note: Song used in this chapter is Your Love by Tegan and Sara. Check 'em out, they're awsome.  
  
Joan took a bite of her cookie and turned up the volume on Alex and Emma. She looked away from the movie and outside at all the happy couples walking down the street, holding hands and necking, giving each other flowers and chocolate, just being in love. Joan looked at the clock. 1:30. 4 and a half hours left before the dance. Then she saw Adam and Iris walk past the house, probably heading for Iris's place. She let out a deep sigh and shoved some ice cream into her mouth. Love sucks.   
  
"Oh no." Joan looked up and saw Grace standing in the doorway. She sat her carton of ice cream down.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Sappy romance films and junk food. I may not be into this stuff, but I'm female, I know what this ritual means," Grace said, turning off the movie and picking up Joan's ice cream and cookies. She went into the kitchen, put them away and came back out.  
  
"Stop moping over Rove."  
  
"It's Valentines Day Grace, you're susposed to mope or grope." Grace laughed a little.  
  
"Mope or grope?" Joan laughed a bit too.  
  
"You're right, it does sound stupid. So, did you come all the way over here to tell me not to mope?"  
  
"No. I came over here to tell you to go to the dance tonight. Or else," Grace told her.  
  
"Or else?"  
  
"Just go," Grace commanded, walking out of the house.  
  
*  
  
The door to Adam's shed opened.   
  
"You do it?" Grace asked, leaning against the door frame.  
  
"Yeah. Did you tell her?" Adam asked.  
  
"No. That's your job. To tell her. Tonight. At the dance. Part of the deal, remember?" Grace asked him.  
  
"Yeah. I remember. So she'll be there?"   
  
"Count on it."  
  
*  
  
As Joan went to put on her make up for the dance that night, she saw a picture on her desk of herself and Adam, taken shortly after the science fair.   
  
"I love you Adam.." she said to the picture.   
  
"Now tell him to his face," a voice called from behind her. Joan spun around.  
  
"Grace.."   
  
"Come on Girardi. We'll be late," Grace told her. Joan finished putting her makeup on and they walked downstairs when the flashes went off.  
  
"Ah!" Joan yelled, blinded by the flashes. Grace ran past her and grabed Luke's arm.  
  
"Time to escape before the cameras change direction," she whispered to him as they ran out of the house. After the flash photography ended, Joan walked out to the car where she was blinded again.  
  
"Could you two NOT do that around me?" she asked as Luke and Grace broke their kiss.   
  
"Sorry.." Luke said.   
  
"Come on. Let's get this show on the road," Grace said, climbing into the drivers seat of her car.   
  
*  
  
As they entered the gym, Grace and Luke stopped in the doorway, making Joan walk ahead of them.  
  
"I'm gonna go do the thing," Grace told Luke. He nodded.  
  
"What thing?" Joan asked her brother.  
  
"Nothing. Just.. See that table, right there?" Luke asked, pointing to a table. Joan nodded.  
  
"Go sit at it," Luke told her.   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Just go.. Trust me." Joan walked over to the table and sat, wondering why her brother and best friend were acting so weird.  
  
*  
  
Joan looked up at the stage and nearly had a heartattack. Grace and Luke were on the stage, talking to the DJ. Grace handed him a CD. The music stopped and everyone looked at the stage.  
  
"Sorry, but a favor has been called in. My cousin has something to say," he said, handing the mike to Grace.  
  
"Hey Girardi, stand up," she said. Joan looked at her and then slowly stand up. Grace's cousin hit play on the CD. A Tegan and Sara song began to play. Luke took the mike and pointed to the door right next to Joan's table.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Rove," he said, giving the mike to the DJ. Joan turned around and saw Adam enter. He handed Joan a rose.  
  
"Hey Jane," he said. She smiled a bit.  
  
"Hi Adam." The couples around them began dancing to the song.  
  
"I wasn't sure how to do this, but Grace's cousin is a DJ who owed her, so she and Luke helped me. I broke up with Iris because I realized something today. I love you Jane."   
  
"I love you too Adam," she said.   
  
"Wanna dance?" Adam asked, as he and Joan began dancing.  
  
/we all got   
  
somebody we love  
  
we don't got a lot of   
  
faith in the above  
  
a little sunshine   
  
will please and thank you all right  
  
when it's cold out  
  
when it's cold outside  
  
don't you   
  
forget what I need  
  
a little inspiration   
  
gets me through where I've been  
  
I've got  
  
an army escorting me on  
  
so don't give me one more reason to  
  
I've got somebody I love  
  
trust in you and me  
  
to keep us up above  
  
the dark clouds  
  
that are circling 'round sunshine  
  
well I need ya  
  
I need your love  
  
well I need ya  
  
I need your love  
  
I need your  
  
don't you forget what I need  
  
a little inspiration   
  
gets me through where I've been  
  
I've got   
  
an army escorting me on   
  
don't give me one more reason to  
  
we all need  
  
somebody to love  
  
to give a little and receive  
  
well it's not so tough  
  
so show me   
  
a road of mine that I haven't seen  
  
and I've got mine at home  
  
and it's waiting for me  
  
well I need you  
  
I need your love  
  
well I need you  
  
I need your love  
  
Well I need you  
  
I need your love/  
  
"Who knew Grace Polk listened to love songs," Luke said. Grace rolled her eyes.  
  
"There's an exception to every law Girardi. Besides, I've done my good day for the decade," Grace told him. He looked over to his sister and Adam kiss.  
  
"Yeah," he said.  
  
/I need ya  
  
I need ya  
  
I need your   
  
and don't you   
  
forget what i need   
  
a little inspriation   
  
gets me through where I've been   
  
and I've got an army escorting me home   
  
so dont' give me one more reason to   
  
well I need you   
  
I need your love   
  
I need you   
  
I need your love   
  
I need you   
  
I need you love  
  
I need ya  
  
I need ya   
  
I need your love/   
  
-End- 


End file.
